That the ancient Egyptians worshiped cats as gods is, today, common knowledge. Just as their regal little bodies were preserved through mummification, their likenesses were preserved in tomb paintings.

But the cat’s image has not always been portrayed with such reverence. “To the medieval mind,” writes naturalist and biologist Roger Tabor, “there was a sinister side to cat magic, associated with demons and witchcraft. It led to the lowest ebb in the history of the cat.” [1] Naturally, that “sinister side” was depicted in both words and pictures.

At the same time, less flattering images seem to be quite popular, too. (“People are rarely neutral about cats,” notes Tabor.) This is hardly surprising; beliefs and attitudes—whatever their origins—rarely change quickly. What is surprising, though, is how some of these images have been employed—at least in some cases—by sources one is expected to take seriously.

I’ve encountered several examples over the course of my research, and have begun “collecting” them for an occasional series of posts, of which this is the first.

The faux canines are gone, and blogger Bill Askenburg does a better job getting his apostrophes correctly placed. The content itself, though, is no better, as Askenburg has apparently been drinking too much of the American Bird Conservancy’s Kool-Aid.